1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of exercise equipment, and particularly to a lower body exerciser that combines elements of both a stepping exercise and a running exercise.
2. Prior Art
A wide variety of exercise devices have been developed for exercising the various muscle groups of the human body. One class of such devices that is particularly adapted for exercising the lower body consists of cycle-type exercisers. These machines generally simulate the exercise experienced when pedaling a cycle. The operator sits in either an upright, semi-recumbent or recumbent position and operates a pair of foot pedals on a crank shaft. The operator's feet travel in a circular path, each foot constrained to move exactly out of phase with the other.
Another class of machines for exercising the lower body consists of treadmills that permit a walking or running exercise. In a treadmill exercise, there is typically no resistance other than the weight of the operator's body, the effect of which may be amplified by elevating the forward end of the treadmill.
Yet another class of lower body exercisers that has become popular in recent years, consists of machines that simulate climbing stairs. These machines typically have a pair of pedals pivotally mounted to a frame for up and down movement in a arcuate path. Operation of the pedals may be either dependent or independent. Typically, resistance is provided only for the downward stroke of each pedal so that the resulting exercise accurately simulates stair climbing.
Each of the above-mentioned classes of lower body exercisers is useful for achieving particular exercise objectives; however, each such class of exerciser is also limited by the inherent mechanical limitations on the range of motion.